Free State’s Clover Mama Afrika Mama wins Business Woman of the Year at Smarties Week

Clover Mama Afrika, Clover’s CSI project, has announced Mama Florence Nyakiso as Business Woman of the Year at an award ceremony during this year’s annual Smarties Week held in Johannesburg. Smarties Week is a hands-on training course that sees the Clover Mama Afrika ladies travel from different provinces across the country and unite to partake in a week of value added workshops.

Mama Florence, who is originally from Transkei, is the founder of the Self-Help Creche in Botshabelo, Free State. She joined the Clover Mama Afrika project in 2008 and has been able to provide a safe haven for over 250 children where they are taught and encouraged to achieve self-fulfilment in their daily activities. Florence also manages and generates an income from 11 self-projects and employs 73 members from her community. This is not the first accolade for Mama Florence; in 2014 she was named Clover Mama Afrika of the Decade and received the Performer Extraordinaire at last year’s awards.

“Mama Florence is truly a formidable woman; she has opened her arms and home by adopting 14 children who live with her permanently. She is a deserving winner as she excels in all her self-help projects and provides employment to 40 to 47 members and has ensured sustainability beyond the call of duty within her community! She remains an icon in her community and is a shining example of the true spirit of Clover Mama Afrika,” says Professor Elain Vlok, manager for Clover’s corporate services and founder of Clover Mama Afrika.

The award comes with R3500 in prize money that will be used by Mama Florence to further help one of her self-help projects which is a chicken farm that holds 450 chickens. She plans on buying chicken food as there is a huge shortage and needs this to boost her project.

Mama Florence was honoured to receive the Business Woman of the Year award and couldn’t be prouder to be part of Clover Mama Afrika. “I am so happy to make a positive change to my community. I knew after seeing a child eat out of a dustbin that I had to do something to help. There was just too many children roaming the streets with no food and little clothing because their parents were not working”, says Florence.

The Clover Mama Afrika project started as a humble project 12 years ago and has since developed into Clover’s flagship CSI project. Winning many accolades along the way, the project has to date appointed 41 Mamas throughout South Africa. These remarkable women collectively care for over 15 500 children and 2 500 elderly people, many of which are abused, orphaned, homeless and vulnerable.

About Clover Mama Afrika

The Clover Mama Afrika project started as a humble project 12 years ago and has since developed into Clover’s flagship CSI programme. The project has to date appointed 41 Mamas throughout South Africa. These remarkable women collectively care for over 15 500 children and 2 500 elderly people, many of which are abused, orphaned, homeless and vulnerable.

Clover Mama Afrika empowers these Mamas with vital skills such as: cooking, baking, sewing, crocheting, business management, food gardening and bread baking skills. Over and above the training sessions these women are all supplied with the necessary tools, equipment and infrastructure to create an income for themselves and give back to their communities. For more information on the Clover Mama Afrika project visit: www.clovermamaafrika.com